Method for fabricating lamellar piezoelectric preform and composite

A process to form a piezoelectric composite having anisotropic 3-3 connectivity with a ceramic phase and an infiltrate phase, which comprises:

• forming a piezoelectric ceramic preform of interconnected lamelli by freeze drying a ceramic slurry or gel in a mold with a unidirectional heat flow where the connectivity of the lamelli in the Z direction is greater than the connectivity of the lamelli in the X and the Y direction, and the connectivity of the lamelli in the X and Y direction is substantially equal, and where the lamelli comprise from about 5 to 80 volume percent of the composite and are about 200 microns or less in width;
• sintering the ceramic preform at a temperature and for a time sufficient to densify the piezoelectric ceramic preform to at least about 95 percent of theoretical density;
• infiltrating interconnected interlamellar regions of the piezoelectric ceramic preform with the infiltrate phase under vacuum to form the piezoelectric composite having the ceramic phase and the infiltrate phase;
• and poling the piezoelectric composite in a electric field at a temperature below the Curie temperature of the ceramic phase.